Having specified participation in Grand Tours as one of its goals for 2012, the new Colombia-Coldeportes team has moved a step closer to that target by receiving a UCI Continental Professional licence for next season.

The licence will enable the team to take part in high level competition in the year ahead. It will also aim to get UCI wild card status, which in turn will enable the team to lobby for invitations to the major races.

The fact that the team is a Colombian one will generate a lot of interest. During the 1980s Colombian riders had a strong presence in the Tour de France and other races, with Lucho Herrera winning stages and the King of the Mountains classification in the Tour, Vuelta and Giro, as well as two Dauphiné Libéré titles, Fabio Parra finishing second overall in the Vuelta a España, and other riders also shining.

The team blitzed races in the high mountains, making a clear impression on the sport. The Colombian success was a little more muted from the 90s onwards but other riders such as world time trial champion Santiago Botero and Tour de France maillot jaune Victor Hugo Pena ensured that the link between the country and the top level of the sport remained.